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question about seam sealing superfly pullouts

hey guys,
So I'm sealing the inside of my the pullouts of my SF, but im not entirely sure what i need to do in order to get a good waterproof seal correctly.

Should I just be applying a thin layer of sealer over the actual stitching itself which runs around the inner border of the black circular patch that anchors the pullout point to the tarp? OR should I be using the silicon to form a non-permeable seal that physically 'glues' the black circle of fabric flat to the tarp material itself?

Basically what im wondering is where does water enter on these types of camping shelters, does it seep in along the seam where the stitching runs Or will it seep in where the edge of the sewn fabric meets the rest of the tarp material?

Right now I basically just made a very thin layer over all the stitching and did not apply any seal that would paste the black fabric to the tarp, nor did I brush any sealant under the black patch to glue it down against the tarp as well.

That's basically it ... apply to the stitching ... and allow it to soak in. Silnet is thick and I always applied a thin line of it and then work it into the stitching with my finger. But for the last couple years I've gone to using only the Permatex Flowable silicon from the auto parts store. It's available on Amazon too. It's cheaper and you can use less of it to cover more without making a clumped up mess. After it dries you can dust with talc (power) to eliminate it from sticking to other surfaces when packed. Takes the shine off of it. I only apply to the inside of the tarp but others do apply to the outside as well. I've not found that necessary.

Hope that helps.

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I use the same stuff and only seal the inside seams. The flowable silicon is thin and seems to works its way well into the stitch holes. That being said, no real harm is sealing everything IMO.

Originally Posted by Hawk-eye

That's basically it ... apply to the stitching ... and allow it to soak in. Silnet is thick and I always applied a thin line of it and then work it into the stitching with my finger. But for the last couple years I've gone to using only the Permatex Flowable silicon from the auto parts store. It's available on Amazon too. It's cheaper and you can use less of it to cover more without making a clumped up mess. After it dries you can dust with talc (power) to eliminate it from sticking to other surfaces when packed. Takes the shine off of it. I only apply to the inside of the tarp but others do apply to the outside as well. I've not found that necessary.

It came out great, I've never actually seen silnet before, but I've been using Permatex for years now for tech diving and my swift water rescue gear. That and the food grade silicone tubes have been a staple for prepping gear for underwater use for decades now, so that's off course what I used since I always have it on hand. As hawk pointed out its available from amazon for like 4 bucks and with amazon prime youll have it in 36 hours with no shipping fees.

I only sealed the inside of the 'fly and followed the instructions you guys gave. I set a very very thin bead of gel a around the stiching and inner anchor stiches. I then used a q-tip or two to pull up as much excess material as i could and then just used my finger for the final touches. piece of cake.

I tried a little test and for the first two anchor points I made sure the tarp was stretched to tension before application, and the last two it was loose. No noticiible difference at all.

I let it cure for a couple hours and then took everyones advice and covered it with some powder to minimize any stickiness.

Final word of caution, just be careful that your work space is clean and spead out. Once this stuff touches anything it gets tracked around to everything else you touch with it, you don't want to finish up and see gobs of Si stained all over your tarp after dragging a palm through the wet adhesive and then touchign everything else.

and Just in case you've never worked with this stuff to slice open the very smallest tip for the applicator you possibly can.

Originally Posted by Hawk-eye

That's basically it ... apply to the stitching ... and allow it to soak in. Silnet is thick and I always applied a thin line of it and then work it into the stitching with my finger. But for the last couple years I've gone to using only the Permatex Flowable silicon from the auto parts store. It's available on Amazon too. It's cheaper and you can use less of it to cover more without making a clumped up mess. After it dries you can dust with talc (power) to eliminate it from sticking to other surfaces when packed. Takes the shine off of it. I only apply to the inside of the tarp but others do apply to the outside as well. I've not found that necessary.